Brake-actuating mechanism.



T. N. NYGREN. BRAKE AGTUATING MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED 11.7, 1913.

Patented Nov. 11, 1913.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

rnnononnmnyeimn, or MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

Toull'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THEODORE N.

Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin'and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Brake-Actuating Mechanism; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and

exact description of the invention, such as.

will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its particular object to provide improved means for actuating the friction brakes of automobiles or power driven vehicles which *drive their traction wheels through differential gear mechanism.

In this class of machines, as'is well known, if one of the traction wheels happens to stand on a slippery spot,- it will tend to'whirl at excessive speed and the driving energy will be rendered ineffective to propel the vehicle. driving gear, the vehicle will be properly propelled only .when both wheels have good. and approximately equal traction and, when the two wheels have not the same traction or frictional engagement with the ground, the driving force is always .measured by the traction of the wheel that will first slip. This action frequently causes skidding and turning of the machine on slippery roads,

resulting in many serious accidents. Furthermore, it frequently happens that a machine will be stalled because one of the traction wheels drops into a rut, leaving the other wheel nearly or quite free from the ground or where it has very slight tractive force.

My invention rovides a simple and effective brake actuating mechanism, whereby, at

will, movement of the brake lever may be caused to set either one of thetwo brakes and thereby lock the desired traction wheel,

sot-hat it becomes a base of reaction, caus-- combinations of devices hereinafter described and defined in .the claims.

The invention is illustrated in the accom panying drawings, wherem like characters Specification of Letters Patent.

Otherwise stated, with a difierentialj BRAKE-ACTUATING MECHANISM.

indicate like views. Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 is a plan view of a portionof theframe and running gear of an automobile, having incorperated therein myinvention; some arts being shown in section; Fig. 2 is a etail parts throughout the several I view principally inside elevation showing a portion of the running gear frame andthe brake lever, on an enlarged scale, some parts belng broken away and some of the exposed parts being shown. in section; Fig.3 is a view partly in elevation and partly in transverse vertical section, taken on theirregular llne m m of Fig. 2, some parts being broken awav and some of the exposed parts being sho'vfnin section; and Fig. 4: is a transverse sect-ion, taken on the line 422* w of Fig. 3.

The numeral 1 indicates the running gear frame supported from the rear axle casing :2 by sprmgs 3, and the numerals band 5 indicate, respectively, the differential gear Patented Nov. 1 1, 1913: Application filed April'7, 1913, Serial-No. 759,324. i i i casing and the engine driven shaft. "Rigidly' secured .to the wheel, hubs 6 are the customarv brake drums 7, having cooperating brake bands 8. Journaled in bearings 9,

projecting from the rear axle casing 4, is a .projecting arms 11 and 12., Coiled springs.

13, anchored tothe arms 11 andthe differential gear casing l, normally hold the rock shafts 10 in positions that release the brake bands 8"from the brake drums7. Journaled in the sidebars of the frame 1 is the cus-. tomary rock shaft 14, towhich would ordinarily be rigidly secured a brake lever. The parts thus far described may be of the standard or any desired construction.

Referring now to my particular invention, the numeral 15 indicates -a .short sleeve or hollow shaft telescoped onto one end of the rock shaft 14 and journaled in the adjacent side bar of the frame 1. :Laterally projecting arms 16 and 17 are adjustably but rig- ,idly-securech-by set screws, respectively, to the rock shaft 14 and to the inner end of the sleeve 15. Long horizontally extended links 18 pivotally connect the free ends of the 105 arms 16 and 17 with those of th'ejarms 11. Ordinarily, both of "the arms 16 and 17 would be secured to the' rock shaft 14, thus causing the brakebands 8 to be simultaneously operated by the brake lever. Laterally brake lever 21 is loosely journaled to the rock shaft 14 between the two arms 19 and 20. A look dog 22 and segment 23 are provided for locking the brake lever 21 in different adjustments. Said lock dog 22 is mounted in a transverse passage 24,?ut in the. brake lever 21, is pivotally sec ed at 25 to said lever, and coiiperates with ratchet teeth 26 cut in the lower edge of the seg-. ment 23. Seated in the brake lever 21 is a coiled spring 27 .that yieldingly holds the lock dog 22 in engagement with the ratchet teeth 26. A long controller rod 28 is mounted, for limited endwise and rotary movement, in an axial passage 29, formed in the brake lever 21. This passage 29 extends from the top of the brake lever 21 to the passage 24. The ,upper end of the rod 28 PI'OjQCtS'flbOVG the upper end of the brake lever 21 and its lower end rests on top of the lock dog 22. The projecting upper end ofthe rod 28 is formed square in cross section, the purpose of which will. presently appear. By press- 30 ing downward on the rod 28, the lock dog 22 may be moved out of engagement with the ratchet teeth26, against the tension of the spring 27, thus releasing the brake lever 21 and permitting the same to be returned to normal'position. A ,stop pin 30, passed through the segment 23, limitsthe forward swinging movement of the arms 19 and--20- and the brake lever 21. For locking the brake lever 21 to both or 40 either one ofthe arms 19 and 20, a lock bolt 31 is mounted, for endwise sliding movement transversely through the brake lever 21, at a point just above the segment 23. In one side of, this lock 'bolt 31 is cut 'a plurality of rack teeth 32, which mesh with M gear teeth-33, cut in the controller rod 28. These gear teeth 33 are of sufficient length to permit .the'required endwise movement of the rod 28 and still keep in meshwith the rack teeth 32. In the inner face of each arm 19 and 20, is formed a lock seat .or-depression 34, into which the ends of the lock olt 31 may be projected, to lock the .brake lever 21 to either or both of said arms. The

55 lock bolt 31 is ofa length sutficient to permit both of its ends to extend into the seats 34 at the. same time, thereby connecting the arms 19 and '20 to the brake .lever 21; and the seats 34 ar of a sufficient depthto per- 6 mit the'lock bolt 31 to be moved outof engagement with one of said' seats 34, thereby connecting either the arm 19 or 20 to the brake lever 21 and leaving the other arm free. When the arms 19 and 20 and'the brake lever 21 engage the stop pin- 30, the

/ V lock bolt 31 and seats 34 are axially alined, thereby permitting the lock bolt 31 to be shifted into both or either one of the seats 34.

A hand piece 35, in the form of a cap, is telesc'oped onto the upper end of the brake g lever 21, for rotating the controller rod'28, to thereby carry the ends-of the lock bolt 31 into locking engagement with both or either one of the lock seats 34. Said hand piece 35 is provided with a cam pin 36, which works in an inverted V-shaped cam groove 37, formed in the brake lever 21. In the transverse portion of the hand piece 35 is formed an angular opening, through which the squared upper end of .the rod 28 projects, thereby locking said rod to said handy piece, with freedom for endwise sliding movement, and for common rotary movement. Compressed between the upper end of the brake lever 21 andthe top of the 5 hand piece 35 is a helical spring 38, which tends to slidethe hand piece 35 outward on the brake lever 21, thereby normally keeping the cam pin 36 at the apex of the cam groove 3'1. When the hand piece 35 is moved outward by the spring 38, the cam pin 36 and groove 37 cause said hand piece 35, and hence the controller rod 28, to rotate. Under this rotation of the controller rod 28, the lock bolt 31 is returned to normal position, or to a position which looks the arms 19 and 20 to the brake lever 21.

To simultaneously set the brakes, the brake lever 21 is'drawn toward the operator and locked against return movement by the dog 22 and 'cotiperating ratchet teeth 26. By pressing down-warden the rod 28, the, lock dog 22 is moved,'-against the tension of the. spring 27,'out of engagement with the ratchet teeth 26, thereby permitting the brake lever 21 to be returned to its normal position, to release the brakes. 5

To set the left handbrake, the lock rod 31 is moved endwise, out of engageme t with the arm 19, by rotating the rod 28 hrough the hand piece 35, while the brake lever is' in a normalposition. After the lock bolt 31 is properly set, the brake lever 21 is .drawn toward the operator, thereby rocking-the shaft 14 in its bearings and, through the several connectionspreviously described, setting the left hand rake. During this movement of the brake lever 21, the arm 19. v and the sleeve 15 will remain; in normal position. To. set the right hand brake, the operation of the parts will be reversed fro that just described.

, What I claim is: Y

1. The combination with a vehicle having a differential drive, and independent. brakes cotiperating with the two traction wheels,- of a brake'lever, independent brake actuating connections, a clutch operative, at will, to simultaneously connect the said two brake actuating connections to said lever, or to 180 connect either thereof to said lever, leaving the other free, means for locking said brake lever in diflerent adjustments, and a common controller for actuatingsaid clutch and said lever locking means, substantially as described. i

2. The combination with a vehicle having a differential drive, and independent brakes codperating with the two traction wheels, of a brake lever, independent brake connections, a clutch operative, at will, to simultaneously connect the said two brake actuating connections to said lever, or to' connect either'thereof to said lever, leaving actuating said clutch and the other free, means for locking said brake lever in different adjustments, a common controller for actuating said clutch and said 'leverlocking means, and automatic means a for returning said common controller to a '20 normal position, substantially as described.

3..The combination with a vehicle, having a, diiierential drive and independent brakes cooperating with the two traction Wheels, of two rock shafts yieldingly held in normal position, independent brake (301111801 tions to-said shafts, a brake lever, a clutch 2 operative, at'will, to simultaneously connect I said lever to said two shafts,

the same to either thereof, leaving the other free, means for locking said lever in difi'er- ,ent adjustments, a, common controller for said lever locking means, and automatic means for returning said controller to normal position, subst'an v tially as described.

4. The combination with a vehicle having a difierential' drive, and independent brakes cooperating with the two traction wheels, of two rock shafts yieldingly held in or to "connect I ously connect said brake lever to saidtwo arms or to connect the same to either there of, leaving the other free, and automatic means for returning said rod to a normal position, substantially as described.

5. The combination with a vehicle having a. differential drive, and independent I brakes cooperating with the two traction wheels, normal positions and having arms, independent brake connections to said shafts, a brake lever loosely mounted between said arms, a ratchet bar on said vehicle, a pawl mounted on said lever for coiiperation with said ratchet bar, a lock bolt slidably mountof two rock shafts yieldingly held in I ed in said lever, a controller rod mounted in said lever, and operative, at will, to move said pawl out of engagement with said ratchetbar, or to move said bolt into locking engagement with said arms or either thereof, leaving the other free, I and means, including a cam pin and coiiperating cam groove, for returning s aid' rod to a normal position, substantially-as described.

In testimony whereof I aflix in presence of two witnesses.

THEODORE N. NYGREN.

'7 Witnesses: v

- EDITH E. HANNA,

HARRY D. KILGORE.

my signature 

